The Legend of James
by walrusparty
Summary: First story. And for the record, Legend of Neil inspired. A teenager falls asleep and enters the Legend of Zelda by accident! He's told he is the Link of legend and he has to save the entirety of Hyrule. What will happen when Ganon finds out he is finally in Hyrule? Will he be able to pick up the responsibilities of being a Hylian hero? Or will he give up? Rated T for violence


James, a teenager who had fallen asleep in his bed not 8 hours ago, woke up in a clearing in the middle of a forest alone. He shot up to look around at his surroundings and he immediately regretted it. When he sat up, he grunted in pain. He waited a few seconds and continued slower. He checked the source of his pain, and all he could find that would have caused it were his house keys in his back pocket. He looked around and decided that he wasn't home, not even close. He started walking toward a tall tree in the middle of the clearing.

"I could probably climb this thing to see where I am. Even if I'm too far away and can't see my house, at least I'll know".

He started up the tree, when something darted into a bush out of his peripheral vision. He felt someone watching him from the bush, but he decided to ignore it and started climbing up the tree. Once he got about 4 feet off of the ground he was hit in the spine with a medium sized rock. Hard. "Ahh!", he screamed once he hit the ground. He felt like he could kill whatever did that with his bare hands, unfortunately, he also felt like he couldn't stand up. That is, until a giant red octopus monster looked down on him. They sustain eye contact for a few seconds before James jumped up and started running, forgetting his earlier pain. He ran past tree after tree, narrowly avoiding branches and leaves, until he stopped himself just in time from hitting the side of a cave. He looks back to see the monster, and finds that he is shooting more rocks, with some that he fired embedded in trees and the ground down the path that they were running. Without hesitation he ran into the cave and found two flaming pots and an old man sitting in a chair facing the cave's wall. The old man was bald on his head, but it could be seen even from behind that the old man had a magnificently grown beard. He was wearing a long, red robe.

The old man's shadows on the wall would flicker in inconstant patterns, dancing on the wall, while the old man was not moving.

"Excuse me." No response.

"What was that octopus monster that was chasing me?" No response. James walked up to him and the old man turned around and held out a wooden sword. James jumped at his sudden movement.

"Uhh, hey? Is.. that for me?"

The old man nodded. "It is dangerous to go alone, take this!"

James grabbed the sword from the old man and wondered what was going on. The only thing that made sense was the old man was insane, and that he needed to get away fast.

He realised he was lost in thought in the middle of trying to respond. He looked at the old man's face, and realized that his expression hadn't changed.

"Thanks, I guess. But I'm not sure how effective a wooden sword will be against the…"

The old man glared at him and stopped him in his tracks. "Oh trust me, it will. And it's free right? Take it and thrust it forward."

James shrugged and stabbed the sword toward the wall. Nothing. He waited for a few seconds with an "I-figured-as-much" look on his face and tried again. Nothing.

"Hmm, that is peculiar. Check your right forearm." said the old man.

James looked at his arm not expecting to see anything but his arm. He was shocked to discover that he had three heart tattoos on the underside of his forearm. One was full, one was half-full, and one was empty.

"Ah, that's the problem. Those hearts are your vitality. As a Hylian, you will always know how close to death you are. Although, you will not be able to use the swords true power until all of your hearts are full. Only then will you realize the sword's ultimate potential".

"What do you mean.."

"Do not worry, young hero,", he interrupted. "I will explain everything in due time. Do you see those blinking heart-shapes over there on the shelf?"

"Yes?"

"Go and grab two of them and place them over your heart."

"You're insane."

As James walked over to the shelf the "hearts" were sitting on, he looked around the cave. He saw bones of some sort of meat strewn on the floor of the cave, like branches after a storm. He assumed they were the old man's lunch, and that he'd been here for a while. He looked over at one of the pots of fire. There was a folded green fabric and a green elf hat sitting on it. He couldn't make out what the folded fabric was, but he had the feeling it was a blanket. He contemplated running out of the cave and finding his house, but he decided that he would let the crazy old man babble on. Maybe if he listened, it would all make sense.

He got to the shelf and turned around to the old man with a concerned look on his face.

"What will they do?"

The old man smiled and said, "Do not worry young one. You'll thank me after you're done."

James rolled his eyes and placed the "heart" over his chest. He didn't feel any different, until he noticed a lot of the pain in his back was gone. He checked his forearm and saw that two of the tattoos were full, and one was half-full now. He did the same with the other heart and felt all of his pain go away. He looked down again and noticed that his tattoos were filled in completely. All of this didn't feel that unrealistic all of a sudden. "Maybe everything that he's said isn't crazy!", James thought, "Maybe…". He turned around and stabbed the sword in the old man's direction.

The old man screamed as he dove for cover from a sword-shaped laser that shot from the sword when he thrusted. The old man stood up and glared at James as he dusted off his robe. "Maybe that was my fault" the old man said after a deep sigh. "I should've told you what would happen. That, is the true power of the sword". James was speechless. That alone was enough to convince James that the old man wasn't crazy. He decided that he would listen to whatever the old man had to say. Although, the old man was waiting for James to say something.

James decided to be straightforward. "Where am I exactly? I was at my house before I fell asleep".

"Is your house in the sky, young one? Because thats where you fell from. I saw you land and you seemed to be unharmed. That is the Hylian prophecy. A young boy will fall from the sky and save us from Ganon, the dark strategist. He has captured the princess and will kill her if she is not saved. She was the head political figure of this land before she was captured, and he will become her predecessor if we do not stop him. When I saw you fall, I came inside and grabbed everything you will need on your journey. You will need to find the triforce of wisdom in order to combat him."

"Triforce?", James asked.

"It will all make sense in due time young one", said the old man, whose face was serious and dark. James felt like the old man was staring into his soul. "In the meantime, here is some armor and a shield for you. It will probably protect you from the monsters outside better than those clothes will".

James looked down at his Nike brand T-Shirt and blue jeans. As he looked down, he saw the "blanket" from earlier hit him in the chest and fall to the floor. He picks it up and notices it is a tunic and a silly hat. He opens his mouth in protest, but the old man stops him with a solemn look. "Don't worry. I don't know what world you come from, but these are normal here." James nodded in agreement. "They were enchanted to have infinite pockets. They can fit anything into it, and as much as you want of it. Just think of the thing you need and reach your hand in. It will be in your hand when you pull it out."

James put on the clothes, and felt as ready as he would ever be. "Before you go," said the old man. James turned to look at him, "take this with you too. Its a potion that will restore all of your vitality in a pinch. Use it wisely, it only has enough for two helpings."

James nodded with a serious expression. "I'm ready."

"Well then," The old man's face broke into a smile, "good luck. We are all counting on you."


End file.
